The US-Japan Alliance in the 21st Century

The year 2004 marked the 150th anniversary of the signing of the first treaty of peace and amity (Treaty of Kanagawa) between the United States and Japan. The author offers a significant Japanese view of the alliance, explores the history, but also poses the question what the relationship will be for the next fifty years.

Vice Admiral Ota was born in Tokyo in 1948. He graduated from the Japan National Defense Academy in 1970. In the year 1993-4, he received a Master’s Degree in National Resource Strategy from the US Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and also a Master’s Degree in International Public Policy at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. In 2003 he was awarded his PhD at SAIS in International Relations. He served at sea for almost ten years, including command of the destroyer JDS Yugumo, and was twice destroyer division commander. Ashore, he was assigned as an exchange instructor to the US Naval Academy, 1980-82. In 1992, during his assignment, as a fellow at the National Institute for Defense Studies, he was a visiting fellow at the Center for International Security and Arms Control at Stanford University. From 1996-99, he served as Defense and Naval Attache at the Embassy of Japan, Washington DC. From 1999 to 2001 Vice Admiral Ota was Director J4 (Logistics), Joint Staff Office, Japan National Defense Agency, during which time he received two legions of merit. Following a brief assignment in 2001 as President of the Joint Staff College, he was promoted to Director of the Defense Intelligence Headquarters until his retirement in 2005.